Elk Grove dedicates new Veterans Park

Veterans Day was given a special twist in Elk Grove Village, where a site once choked with weeds has been transformed into the community's long-awaited Veterans Memorial Park.

The 33,000-square-foot park, across from Village Hall at Biesterfield Road and Wellington Avenue, opened with dedication ceremonies Monday.

It features a waterfall, benches, pathways, a flagpole and an area honoring the five branches of the U.S. military.

An electronic sign that will be used to inform residents of village events will be installed next to the park, Mayor Craig Johnson said.

The park project costs $500,000, half of which is being paid for with grant money, Johnson said.

For years, only the pumping station for Lake Michigan water stood on the site, which served as little more than a pedestrian shortcut to and from the adjoining Grove Shopping Center.

"We can't get rid of the pumping station, but now we're making it blend in better with the surrounding area," Johnson said.

Elk Grove Village is one of several communities in the Chicago area with a memorial to veterans.

Wheeling, Rolling Meadows and Des Plaines also have parks or monuments, said Ronald White, division commander for the Cook County Council of the Illinois American Legion.

"It's good to see the recognition," said White, a resident of Des Plaines. "Maybe 9/11 opened up people's eyes to the fact that veterans have served this country and they deserve to be thanked."

Veterans groups originally thought the Elk Grove Village site might be too small for an adequate memorial park, but the proposed design won them over, said Tom Short, commander for American Legion Post 216.